The Wired
by Ko-chan to Ya-chan
Summary: Yuugi is warned by someone to avoid a girl named Lain, and finds himself thrown into the middle of an all-out war over the wired. SHONEN AI! CHPT 3 UP!
1. Yuugi

            Konnichiwa minna! We were in a good mood after buying some really nice polar-fleece gloves, and decided to write something a bit different from the usual. We recently started watching a new anime series called LAIN the main character's name, not the act of lying down, and think it's pretty interesting, even if the animation sucks worse than the dubbed DGM movie... XP We think it's done by the same people who did Jinroh... the eyes & style are the same Anyhoo, this is gonna be sorta like that... With a few additional characters, of course. ^-~ you should know by now who... Enjoy!

                                                                                                                                ~ Ko-chan to Ya-chan

**Disclaimer:** We dun own LAIN or any other characters in this fic. Only the idea to splice the series' together to write this. We're not getting paid, so if you try n' sue, all you're gonna get is... *check wallet*... $0.53. ^-^' We're broke... blame x-mas...

**Warnings:** Um... You'll be ½ lost if you haven't seen or heard of LAIN... There'll probably be violence, coarse language, and shounen ai.... This is also written in the same format as the LAIN series, w/the dude at the beginning, the opening segment of story line, then the "layer number" and "title", followed by the rest.... You'll see what I mean... As for the rest, ano... normal protocol, I guess... Ja... - K

**The Wired: Yuugi**

****

          "....Present day..."

          "...Present time... Ha ha ha ha ha..."

-----------------------

          -YUZA LOG IN-

          My name is GemuNijuichi Game21. I'd tell you my real name, but then they'd be able to track me there, to the real world...

          ...But the WIRED is real too... Sometimes, it even seems more real than the other. Take this place, for example; here, I can speak to you as if face-to-face, though both of us are concealed in shadow. It's safer...that way...

          This way...they can't find you. Find out who you are... Find your thought frequency... This way, they won't be able to take you into the WIRED. They won't be able to trick you into downloading yourself completely, and ridding yourself of your body...

          -CLICK-

          They're coming now... I must leave you. I advise you to do the same... We can always meet again some other time, when there is less danger...but you must promise me one thing...

          ...Promise me you'll stay safe. That you won't let them take you. That you won't let _her_ take you, the one with the dark smile and cold eyes... the one whom is behind it all...

          -CLICK- -CLICK- -CLICK-

          We must hurry. Remember your promise... Watch out for her... She will stop at nothing to take you... Watch out for....

          ...LAIN...

          -YUZA LOGGED OFF-

-----------------------------------

          "Yu..."

          "Yuu..."

          "Layer 0-1: Yuugi"

------------------------------------

          I sigh as I sign off the private chatroom and exit the WIRED. What did that guy mean by all that? Is the WIRED really more than it seems? Is that girl... Lain... even real? Or is she only a rumor, like the KNIGHTS?

          I suppose I should try to trust him. After all, he's been talking to me for a while now, always leaving in a hurry and giving me warnings about the WIRED... This is the first time he's given a name, though...

          Turning to look at my top-of-the-line NAVI, I idly wonder just why that guy is so afraid anyway. It _is_ just a computer, a machine... How could people ever take you away if they "live there"...? He calls them "digital ghosts"; people who've gotten so connected to the WIRED that they buy special chips and download their personalities exactly onto the network, then kill themselves; living on as their digital copies...

          ...Sounds like something straight out of a scifi movie, if you ask me. I wonder if I've just been talking to a nutcase this whole time... Still, it _is_ a bit unnerving, having total strangers see your image whenever you log on... Who knows what they could be thinking.... What they could be planning.....

          Gya~! I'm starting to sound like Gemu-kun now... Better not think too much about this... I'll end up in a loony bin!

          Shaking my head, I walk over to my bed, whispering 'goodnight' to my NAVI.

          It calls back, in its cold, mechanical voice; a voice more warm to me sometimes than any human's...

          "Oyasumi nasai, Yuza Yuugi..."

END CHPT. I

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

K: So, whadda ya think? Different, huh?

Y: *raises eyebrow* It strangely reminds me of Little Yugi's fanfic "Angel Thief"....

K: *blink blink* Erm... I can _sorta_ see what you're talking about... It's not really like that, though...

Y: *shrugs* I guess you're right... *turns to readers* Sorry about the length of the chapter... It just seemed like a good place to end, even if it _did_ cut it short...

K: *nods* Besides... 'Kaa-chan wanted us off the computer...

Y: Gomen about the format, too.... If you're confused by it, just ignore the 2 title insertions "Present" and "Layer" and pretend the ------- lines are just acknowledging the shift in the POV... If they even show up… --;;;

K: If you think we did a horrible job at depicting Lain, keep in mind we've only seen the first DVD, and only rented it yesterday... Also, her character's based on her "WIRED persona", in which she's a total "seductive bitch". The characters might meet her later on in real life and meet the other Lain, if she chooses to fight against the change the WIRED thrust upon her....

Y: Well, tell us what you think, and if you like it, we'll write more, k?

Both: Ja ne!


	2. Lain

Konnichiwa, minna. We just finished watching vol. 3 of Lain, and decided to work on this a bit. Just thank Taro-chan for it; he's the one who inspired us… ^-~ Taro is a character from Lain… Well, enjoy!

                                                                                    ~ Ko-chan to Ya-chan

Disclaimer: We dun own Yuugi-tachi or Lain. If we did, there'd be shounen ai galore! XP

Warnings: More creepy anonymous e-mail, more mystery, more foul language… MAYBE we'll get around to the actual shounen ai… The usual…

**The Wired: Lain**

****

"Present day…"

"Present time… Ha ha ha ha ha….!"

______________________________________________________________________

Who is she? Is she really Lain, of the Wired? She seems too innocent to do such things… Demo…

…She could always just be leading people on. Using guile and trickery to fool those around her… Perhaps that is why she transferred here…

Still, one should not judge a book by its cover. It could just be some big misunderstanding, after all. It's not like she's the only one to have the name 'Lain', right? I mean, there must be plenty of girls with the same name…

//Just like how there are so many Yuugis?//

Na- nani?! Who said that?!

//I did. Who else could it be?//

That's not what I meant… I mean, that is to say, who are you? What is your name?

//I am the one you are speaking to, of course! Silly Yuugi…//

You didn't answer my question. Who _are_ you?

//…..//

//My name, is Lain…//

___________________________________________________________

"La…"

"Lai…"

"Layer 0-2: Lain"

__________________________________________________________

L- Lain?! Masaka…!

//Heh heh…. Oh, but it is… This isn't a dream, Yuugi. I really _am_ talking to you…//

Then… How come no one but me can hear you? Why are you speaking to _me_, of all people?

//Tsk, tsk… So many questions… You're too nosy, Yuugi…//

Answer me!

//Why, I choose to because you've seen my world, Mutou Yuugi… You've entered the wired, and had met someone who plots against me…//

Do you mean… Gemu-kun?

//Oh- on friendly terms with him, are you? Then you must know a vast assortment of his secrets… And I do so _love_ secrets… heh heh heh…//

All he told me was to be wary of _you_! I don't even know his real name!

//Usotsuki. He has told you of the Digital Ghosts, has he not? And of my followers?//

Digital Ghosts? Ha! You must be joking! Who would ever do such a thing; kill themselves so they could live freely on the WIRED?

//You'd be surprised…//

……look. I don't want any part in this thing cooking between the 2 of you. I never wanted to meet either of you, and I sure as hell don't want to get in either's way. So just leave me alone already, got it?

//Foolish little boy…. You know too much already. You can't possibly get out now… You're in too deep. We'll haunt you till the end of your days! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!//

Iya… IYA~! Leave me alone!

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Wha? Everyone heard me? Did I… say that out loud? I must have… Why else would they be staring…?

-BAM-

Eh- Na- nani?

"Why, Mutou-san! Such lack of respect for your teachers!"

S….sensei?

"Out into the hall… Move it!" she orders, pointing to the door.

"Ha- hai…!" I reply, getting up from my seat and heading out of the classroom.

They're staring again… Had their eyes ever left me…? And among them… solumn, chocolate eyes… _Her_ eyes… Lain's eyes…

_~…Promise me you'll stay safe. That you won't let them take you. That you won't let her take you, the one with the dark smile and cold eyes_…~ 

Funny… Her eyes don't seem cold… But wait- someone else's _does_…

…There- in the far right corner; by the window…. Crimson eyes. Glaring eyes… Eyes that…. That I've seen somewhere before… Somewhere else, before now….

Eyes I've seen…in the wired…

The eyes, of Gemu-kun….

**END CHPT. II**

****

Who is the mysterious GemuNijuichi? Has he been in Yuugi's class all along? And was it really Lain whom Yuugi heard in his mind? Is the quiet new girl not at all who she seems to be?

Find out next time in The Wired…. Sweet dreams…

                                                                                    ~ Ko-chan to Ya-chan


	3. Boy Talk

K: I figured it was high time I fricking updated this. --; I mean, 6 months is a little much, ne? Besides, I'm trying to place all my chaptered fics (that I need to complete) at the head of my list of works so I don't forget about them… ; *shrugs* Anyhoo, let's see if I still remember how to write this. *cracks her knuckles*

**Disclaimer:** Dun own Lain, dun own Yuugi-tachi. Hell, I still don't understand Lain, even though I watched it all. --;

**Dedications:**

- PanDora (I know she isn't good or bad- you'll just have to see what happens. *sinister grin*)

- Mirai-chan (It's been 6 months… Have you gotten around to seeing it yet?)

- Aya (Haven't heard from you in a LONG while- what's up? ^^; And don't worry- I'll stick to the formatting.)

- Sakyu-chan (^_^; I know, I know… Update Machigai, right? Well, like I said in the AN, I want to tidy up my listed works first, k? I have ½ the chapter done, I just haven't had time to finish it… ;)

- Da-chan (I had no idea you liked Serial Experiments Lain! ^_^ Totemo kakkoii desho! [so cool!] Maybe we can write a joint-Lain fic or something some time, ne? ^_~ Na~ when are you going to update To Whom it Wishes? I wanna read more! It sounds so interesting so far!! Oh yeah- I still need to give you the Genj' plushie, too. *giggles and holds it up to the screen* He wants to see his Da-koi!! ^_~)

The Wired: Boy Talk "Present day…"             "Present time… Ha ha ha ha ha…!" 

_______________________________________

\She's been inside your head, hasn't she?\

            /I…. I don't know what you're talking about…./

            \Don't lie to me. I know for a fact she was talking to you during your 5th period class today…\

            /Then that was you I saw!/

            \I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about…\

            /Now who's the one lying?/

            \Urusei.\ (shut up)

___________________________________________________

            "Boy"

            "Boys" *giggle*

            "Layer 0-3: Boy Talk"

____________________________________________________

            Fine, if he doesn't want to talk about that, I'll change the subject. Raising the volume of my MP3 player, I let my fingers dance across the keyboard in time to the steady beat of the rock music. I'm not sure when I started listening to the stuff, but now, it's pretty much all I ever listen to.

            /So tell me, Gemu-kun, how exactly can she pry into the minds of others, anyway?/

            There's a lengthy pause, and I'm not sure what to think. Would he answer? Is he debating on whether to tell me, or is his reply just really long or something? Mulling over my options for a bit, I decide to go ahead and ask him.

            /_Well…?_/

            His reply is almost instantaneous.

            \Chotto, chotto! Ra~ who knew you could be so damn _impatient_? You're the one who asked me, remember?\ (hold on/wait)

            I felt a small smirk tug at my lips- so he _was_ going to tell me…

            /Hn… Just because you type so slowly doesn't mean you have to go and blame me… XP/

            \Do you want me to tell you or not? Now shut up and stop bothering me so I can finish, dammit!\

            I chuckle a little- it's not like him to be flustered. Hell, this is probably the most open I've seen him in all this time… I wonder why? Should I even comment on it? He might clam up again if I do…

            /Hai, hai…/ (yeah, yeah…)

            As long as he's being so light-hearted, I might as well take advantage of it. Besides, I'm feeling mischievous at the moment…

            /….Slowpoke. XP/

            \Yare, yare… --;\ (Jeez)

            /^_^/

            \Okei- here's how it goes. In this day and age, pretty much everyone uses the WIRED, right? Since everyone has logged on at least once, that means Lain has the ability to seek them out. 

When in the WIRED, people use special gear to create a user file that replicates a chosen part of their body to be viewed by others when logged in. That means that each user file is unique, since no 2 people are the same. All this is common knowledge so far, but there's one thing people always overlook- the fact that the connection goes both ways. A part of themselves is always in the WIRED, as the user file, and a part of the WIRED is always in them, on whichever body part they chose to replicate.

            Lain knows this, and that's how she's able to speak directly into your mind, even when offline. I've tried to do the same, to test my theory, but I can never fully achieve the same results. My guess is because she can harness her own raw power to make it work.\

            Her own raw power? What on Earth did he mean by that? I guess I can understand the whole user file thing, but why would Lain be the only one able to do it?

            /What- is she a God or something?/

            \First of all, it's God_dess_… and really, she just might be… She certainly acts like it, and there's plenty of proof of what she can do…\

            /A Goddess of the WIRED?/

            \Exactly.\

            /So Lain is some kind of super genius who's figured out how to literally bypass every form of security within the WIRED and has somehow managed to weave it together with the real world? How could someone who looks that fragile do all that?/

            \People are a lot different in the WIRED than in real life, and looks can be deceiving…. Just look at you- I doubt you'd ever think of teasing and being a smartass if we were face-to-face…\

            /Point taken. I just hope you've changed your opinion of me now that you know I'm not so innocent, Gemu-kun. XP/

            \Hn. Damn straight… You can be downright infuriating when you want to be.\

            /BTW, you realize I have blackmail on you now… Mr. Never-speaks-or-opens-up-to-anyone-and-just-sits-in-a-corner-looking-sexy… XP Unbeknown to you, you've taught me quite a bit about yourself during this conversation…/

            I lean back in my chair, a full-blown smirk adorning my face. Let's see how he reacts to _that_… I guess I don't _really_ have much on him, other than the fact I know who he is and that he's completely paranoid about Lain of the WIRED. Oh- there's also the fact he's a perfectionist, which I've deducted by the 'goddess' comment, and that I know just how to get under his skin…

            Strange- I have the sudden urge to cackle insanely. I guess I should cut back on the downloadable anime for a while… I think Daidouji Tomoyo is rubbing off on me… Accursed maho-shojo series… If Li Syaoran wasn't so kakkoii, I'd stop watching it altogether… (1: Magical girl, 2: cool)

            A little chime startles me from my inner ramblings, and I blink as my mind registers the fact that sound meant Gemu-kun had answered. Shaking my head, I leaned forward to read his reply.

            \Sexy? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hitting on me, Yu-kun… XP\

            Needless to say, I wasn't expecting _THAT_. In fact, I was so surprised I literally fell out of my chair.

            "Aa~ shimatta!" I cursed, rubbing my now-sore ass. (Ah- shit!)

            "Eh? Something wrong?"

            "What the hell?! Who's there?!"

            "You turned your intercom back on, baka."

            I did? I heave myself back up and into my chair, then stare at the small icon sitting in the bottom right corner of my screen. Sure enough, it's the one for the microphone connected to my Navi. I guess I must've hit it accidentally when I fell down…

            "Oh…" Well don't I feel stupid…. Dammit- I swear, I can almost see him smirking right now… His eyes give it away.

            Sure enough, I hear him snort. "Hn. So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

            And admit that I fell on my ass? _Hell_ no.

            "You fell flat on your ass, didn't you?"

            Dammit. How did he know?! Great- now he's starting to laugh…

            "Urusai." (Shut up)

            I send him my best glare, thankful that I chose my eyes as my replicated ID.

            "Is that supposed to be a scowl? All it does is make you look ridiculously cute…"

            Shit- now I'm blushing… Why oh WHY did I add that part about him acting like a typical, 'I'm too sexy for you' punk?! I don't really mind him hitting on me, though… NANI?! WHERE THE HELL DID _THAT_ COME FROM?!

            "Did you fall again and render yourself unconscious?"

            I turn my eyes away from his digitized ones, unable to withstand the evil, unsettling mirth held in them. He'd won this round, and he knew it. Demonic little bastard…

            "Ya- yakomashi…" (Be quiet)

            Gathering myself, I turn to meet his gaze once more with as much of a poker face as I can muster. "I've gotta go… I need to start dinner…"

            The ruby eyes closed as if he were shrugging. "Suit yourself. There's always tomorrow…"

            "Yeah, sure… donna ni demo da na…" (whatever) I move to turn off the microphone, but a strangled yelp stops me.

            "Aack! Chotto! I forgot to give you the standard Lain warning thing!!"

            I stare at his eyes blankly. "You're the strangest person I've ever met…"

            "Apparently, that's not saying much…"

            "You don't know my Ji-chan, then…" A spark of curiosity twinkles in his crimson orbs, and I choose to leave him hanging before he starts asking- I really _do_ need to start making dinner… "Ja na." (bye)

            With that, I shut off the intercom, ignoring his cries of protest. His eyes narrow at me in mock-fury, and I wink at them before logging out. Turning off my RealonePlayer, I swivel around in my chair and exit the room, heading downstairs to the kitchen. Halfway there, I realize something.

            "Shit- he knows I listen to Imai Eriko…"

END CHAPTER III 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

K: ^_^ Aww… Yuugi's flirting! Sorry that Gemu-kun's so OOC from how I made him previously… I just couldn't resist! Besides, that's how Yuugi wanted to play, ne? ^_~

As for Yuugi listening to Imai Eriko, I just randomly put that since I was listening to "Dawn" when I was finishing this up. ^_^; It's actually a really good song, but I get the feeling it's directed more toward female listeners, not guys. ^_~ Hence the fact Gemu-kun now has blackmail on Yuugi, since he would've heard the music playing in the background because of the microphone. XP

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I tried to make it a bit longer, since I haven't written for this in a LONG while… ; Saa~ I gotta go! I'm heading off to see Lara Croft 2! ^_________^ Ja ne!


End file.
